Nights Like These
by Dancing-StarryEyedDemigod
Summary: A songfic. Astrid's out on the dock one night, and she can see Toothless and Hiccup flying around in the night sky. It's times like these that she wonders- does he ever think of her like she thinks of him? HicxAstrid fluff. Spoilers. My first HTTYD fic.


HELLO, lovely people of **Fanfiction**. I'm writing another chapter of TSBtW for those PJatO fans, and gonna start on my _s e q u e l_ to SaB soon, but I'm also doing Script Frenzy (it's a long story) and so I'm not writing as much as I **should**.

**But,** in the _m e a n t i m e_, how about that new **movie** that just came out? Y'know, that animated one? The one about DRAGONS?? Whatsitcalled... DreamWorks' **How To Train Your Dragon**? Yeeeeaaaahh, _that one_! I'm kind of obsessed with it. Seen it twice, going to see it again in an hour or so, felt like writing some _f a n f i c t i o n_ about it.

This first one's in **Astrid's POV**. It's a _s o n g f i c_ about, yes, you guessed it, the teenage stupidity of people being _insecure_ about the things around them and that **one special person's** feelings and why they're so amazing and _**blah, blah, blah.**_

...I've got **two** more ideas, so _stay tuned_!!

(P.S. Sorry for the insanity of my AN. I'm pretty hyper this evening.)

...And I think it goes _without saying_ that I **don't **own HTTYD or any of the _ c h a r a c t e r s. _Oh, and that this contains some **s p o i l e r s** if you haven't watched the _movie_.

OK**GO.** :)

* * *

It's around midnight on Burke. I'm walking along the docks, looking into the water. I hear a shriek and my head snaps to the skies. I smile. I can see the shadow of Hiccup and Toothless flying through the night and the stars. He sure loves that dragon.

Of course, he loves a lot of things. Writing, drawing, studying, working with dragons, flying dragons... he loves everything. Except me, I'm sure.

_Making my way downtown  
Walking fast  
Faces pass  
And I'm home bound_

If only I could sing. Hiccup would like that. He loves music, too. Flat out loves it.

But, sadly enough, I'm not a musical Viking. I would call myself a dragon-_killing_ Viking, but now that we don't kill them anymore, I'm more of a dragon-_taming_ Viking. I don't really have many talents. Well, except for taming dragons. And weaponry. And I've got some pretty cool fighting moves.

But that's not the point. The point is: I don't know what I'm doing, going after a Viking like Hiccup.

_Staring blankly ahead  
Just making my way  
Making a way  
Through the crowd_

It's not like I've got anything philosophical to offer. I mean, sure, I can teach him a few things about battle combat and maybe a couple tidbits of intellect. But other than that, there's not much I can give him. Everything I ever learned about dragons, everything I knew about them, was a lie. And that's all I was. All I cared about was killing dragons. But now I've gotta learn from Hiccup how to _train _them.

We're _all_ learning from Hiccup now. All our old dragon books have been destroyed; the ones about what dragons do how to kill them. The scribe Vikings are writing new books now, about what dragons _like _and how to _tame _them.

_And I need you  
And I miss you  
And now I wonder_

And then there's the fact that Hiccup... he's well... Hiccup.

He's just... different. I spent 15 years of my life pretending I didn't notice him. 15 years of trying to be the best at everything. And then there he was, waltzing in with an open mind and a dragon pet and everything that I didn't have. And he beat me.

It made me wonder. I was curious. I still am. Why does Hiccup... act like Hiccup?

Could _I _ever act like Hiccup? Could _I_ fly on a dragon like that: carefree and nonchalant?

_If I could fall  
Into the sky  
Do you think time  
Would pass me by?  
_

I don't think I could. That's Hiccup's thing.

But I _would_, if it meant getting to spend some time with the town's favorite hero.

I would give anything to be with him and Toothless right now, soaring through the stars, smiling and laughing and not having a care in the world.

I would give anything to be with him right now, to punch him on the arm, smile, and then kiss him. And when I'd pull away, he'd be grinning like an idiot. Then he'd laugh nervously and rub the back of his neck, and Toothless would nuzzle his way in between us.

_'Cause you know I'd walk  
A thousand miles  
If I could just see you  
Tonight  
_

That's the way it worked. And, Odin, how I loved the way it worked. Between Toothless and Hiccup, me and Toothless, me and Hiccup.

I sit down on the wood of the dock and take off my boots. It's warm, for Burke, and the night is clear with a clam breeze. I stick my feet in the cold water.

On nights like this, when I'm the only one awake and outside (except for Hiccup and Toothless in the sky, of course), I start thinking about what life would be like if I didn't get involved with Hiccup.

He'd probably have a lot less bruises on his arm, that's for sure.

...That was a joke.

But seriously, what would I do? Who would I think about? To be honest, Hiccup's been on my mind a lot. I doubt I'm on his.

_It's always times like these  
When I think of you  
And I wonder  
If you ever  
Think of me_

And, look, we're back to my point. How I don't know why I'm going after a Viking like Hiccup. Thor only knows how much I think about _this_ subject.

I don't know why I like Hiccup. Actually, I do. I've already mentioned why I like him. But why would _he_ like _me_? He shouldn't. I'm temperamental. Snarky. Quick to react. He's smart. Quiet. Shy. He thinks things through.

So what am I doing, having him spend his time with me? What am I _doing_?

_'Cause everything's so wrong  
And I don't belong  
Living in your  
Precious memories_

I have no clue what I'm doing. All I know is, I don't want to stop doing whatever it is that I may be doing...

Because I need whatever it is that I'm doing.

_'Cause I need you  
And I miss you  
And now I wonder_

The sound of wings rustling behind me makes me jump. I look over my shoulder, and it's Hiccup. Hiccup and Toothless. I can't keep from smiling, and to hide it, I turn away from Hiccup and kick my feet around in the ocean.

"Hey, Astrid," he says, not making a move towards me. I hear Toothless sit in the grass around the foot of the cliffs.

"Hi," I reply, looking at everything that's not Hiccup. Out at the sea, the stars, the ships- anywhere that's not Hiccup's goofy grin.

"Mind if I join you?" he wants to know.

I shake my head. He walks over and sits down next to me, crossing his legs. I grab his hand. This makes him jump, but he doesn't complain.

_If I could fall  
Into the sky  
Do you think time  
Would pass me by?  
_

"Whatcha thinking about?" he asks, and for the first time, I actually look at his face. His eyebrows are furrowed in curiosity and a faint smile plays on his lips. He's breathtaking.

"Just some things," I reply, striving to sound nonchalant.

"Things like what?" He squeezes my hand tighter.

"You," I answer honestly. "Us. Toothless."

At hearing his name, Toothless snorts. I laugh.

"What brought you down here?" I ask. "You two were having a great time up there."

"We saw you and wanted to come say hi," Hiccup responds, making me smile.

_'Cause you know I'd walk  
A thousand miles  
If I could just see you  
Tonight_

"So..." he says, shifting his weight.

"So," I repeat.

_And I,  
I don't want to let you know_

"So," he says again, this time continuing. "You're thinking about _us_." He pauses, uncomfortable, and looks over at me. "What about... _us_?"

_I,  
I drown in your memory_

I shrug and lean into him slightly, taking in his warmth and his smell. Smells like pine trees. Warms like a fire.

"Don't know," I reply, the night air brushing my hair into my face. "Just thinking."

"So..." Hiccup grins slightly and angles his body towards me, wrapping an arm around my back. "You're thinking... about us. But... you don't know what it is you're thinking about us?"

_I,  
I don't want to let this go  
_

"That's right," I reply, nodding my head once. I look down at mine and Hiccup's interlocked hands. He lifts my fingers to his lips.

"That's not like you," he whispers into my knuckles. He takes a breath, but then looks away. I cough and look at him, raising an eyebrow and indicating that he should keep going.

"The Astrid _I _know," he continues, examining my hand, "would know exactly what she's thinking about and why she's thinking it." He kisses my knuckle, fearlessly, and looks up at me, waiting for a response. I sigh.

_I,  
I don't..._

"You're right," I admit. I start to stand up off the dock. Hiccup, watching me, does a double take. He scrambles up after me, but has some trouble balancing on his metal leg. He falls into me and I catch him.

"Careful, Dragon Whisperer," I say, laughing. Hiccup doesn't laugh. He looks up at me, somber.

"I'm _what_?" he asks. I let go of him and turn away.

"Right," I say. "You're right."

_Making my way downtown  
Walking fast  
Faces pass  
And I'm home bound_

"I... I am?" He tries to look at me.

"Yeah," I whisper, turning to face him. Our noses are inches apart.

_Staring blankly ahead  
Just making my way  
Making a way  
Through the crowd_

"I do know exactly what I'm thinking about, considering the subject of 'us,'" I continue. "I'm thinking that you're different, Hiccup Haddock. I'm thinking that I don't know why we fit together. And I'm thinking that it doesn't matter, because I really like you."

"Wow," Hiccup says nervously. His green eyes are bright and very close to mine. "That's... that's a lot that you're thinking about, there..."

I smile. "You're right."

_And I still need you  
And I still miss you  
And now I wonder...._

"Okay, would you stop saying that I'm right?" Hiccup asks hurriedly, not looking me in the eye. "It's... It's freaking me out..."

"Oh, is it now?" I smirk and raise an eyebrow at him. He backs up and holds up his hands. I walk closer to him

"No, no, no," he says. "I didn't mean that… I just meant… Ah..."

Hiccup's voice falters as I circle around to his other side. He whirls around to face me and freezes when he notices the look on my face. He stares into my challenging eyes, and I want to laugh.

It's so funny. One second, I'm quiet and thoughtful and Hiccup's brave and curious. Then the next second rolls around, and I'm teasing and sarcastic and he's nervous and jumpy. I'm thinking about this, but I don't laugh. I stay perfectly still.

Hiccup gulps, and I grin, my face inching closer to his.

"You're right, you're right, you're right" I say to him, causing him to flinch.

"I knew that was coming," he says.

_If I could fall  
Into the sky  
Do you think time  
Would pass us by?  
_

"Did you?" I wonder aloud. "Or do you just want to believe that you did?"

"Um... is there a third option?" Hiccup asks, smiling and holding out his hands at his sides. I slip my arms around his shoulders, and slowly, slowly but surely, he wraps his own arms around my waist.

"Yes," I whisper, grinning despite the fact that I've been smiling nonstop since Hiccup got here. "There is a third option, actually."

_'Cause you know I'd walk  
A thousand miles  
If I could just see you..._

I pull away from Hiccup's hug and look him in the eye. He inhales sharply and returns my gaze. I quickly press my lips to his, and before I know it, he's kissing me back.

And then I realize: I don't care why Hiccup likes me. I don't care why he's different. I don't care if he thinks about me or that I think about him too much. I don't care about what kind of Viking I am.

_If I could fall  
Into the sky  
Do you think time  
Would pass me by_?

All I care about is that Hiccup's here. And we're in each other's arms. And he's mine. All mine.

_'Cause you know I'd walk  
A thousand miles  
If I could just see you,_

_If I could just hold you  
Tonight_

* * *

_W e l l_ , what do you think? Was it **OC? **Was it strange?

Like it? Mind telling me if you do?


End file.
